The Slayers Matrix
by Hawk Shadowharper
Summary: Is Lina the One? Full Version: http:www.geocities.comevents-hawkwritingSlayersMatrix
1. Author's Notes

**The Slayers Matrix   
-Hawk Shadowharper **

Author's Notes 

No, I don't own Slayers. No, I don't own the Matrix. Yes, I do own the characters Hawk and Seraya Shadowharper. No, Hawk in this story isn't a self-insert, he's way cooler and l33ter than me. Yes, I like reviews, positive and negative. Yes, I prefer constructive criticism but I'll take what I can get. No, I haven't seen the two sequels yet. Yes, I plan to. No, I don't plan on leaving the story with just these chapters. Yes, I plan to do the Slayers Matrix Reloaded and Slayers Matrix Revolutions. Yes, I also plan and am working on the Slayers Matrix Revisited. No, you can't change my mind of which characters are replacing which ones in the Matrix crew. Yes, there is a lesbian relationship between Lina and Seraya. No, I'm not going to write a sex scene between them. 

That is all. 


	2. Prologue to the End

**The Slayers Matrix   
-Hawk Shadowharper   
-Fusion of the Slayers anime series and The Matrix, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers **

Part 1: Prologue to the End 

Somewhere in the darkness, a phone rings. "Yeah." The darkness comes to life as computer language appears and columns of numbers and symbols zoom by. 

"Is everything in place?" The columns shift and change, becoming just ten columns. They're looking for something. 

"You weren't supposed to relieve me." 

"I know, but I felt like taking a shift." The first three columns suddenly stop, showing '312'. It's the area code for a phone number. 

"You like her, don't you? You like watching her." 

"Don't be ridiculous." Three more columns stop, showing '555'. Soon, the number will be known and... 

"We're going to kill her, you know." 

"Xelloss believes she is the One." 

"Do you?" Two of the last four columns stop, '06'. Almost... 

"It doesn't matter what I believe." 

"You don't, do you." The last columns stop, '90'. '312-555-0690'. 

"Did you hear that?" 

"Hear what?" 

A little bit of panic seeps into the voice. "Are you sure this line is clean?" 

Cool confidence. "Yeah, of course I'm sure." 

"I better go." Click. 

A small group of cops creep down a dark hallway with flashlights glowing, checking room numbers as they went. Once they reach room 303, they ready themselves on either side of the door as the biggest officer among them kicks open the door.

Inside the nearly empty room, they find only a fold up chair and table with a laptop and cell phone on it. Sitting in the chair is a small girl, her long blond hair falling over the back of the chair, her hands on the keyboard of the laptop computer. She's dressed in an uniform of black leather vest, jacket and pants. 

"Freeze, police," yells the first cop that kicked down the door. 

"Hands on your head," calls a second cop. 

"Do it, now!" She narrows her eyes at the computer screen as she raises her hands behind her head. 

Outside the building where a couple police cars are parked, a black sedan pulls up behind them. Out climb three Dragon Agents dressed in dark green business suits and wearing sunglasses, even though it's night. Each also is constantly hard-wired, a small earphone in the right ear. One has green hair that seemed to defy gravity; another has blond hair that fell halfway down her back; the last has shoulder-length blond hair and stands several inches taller than his comrades. 

"Lieutenant!" The green-haired Agent steps forward towards the police officer in charge. 

"Oh shit," the cop mutters to himself. 

"Lieutenant, you were given specific orders." 

"Hey, I'm just doin' my job. You give me that juris-my-diction crap and you can cram it up your ass," the cop looks at the Agent, obviously sick of taking orders from the guy. 

"The orders were for your protection," the green-haired Dragon says slowly, as if to a child. The officer, though, laughs. 

"I think we can handle one little girl," he says, looking back towards the building. "I sent two units, they're bringing her down now." 

"No, lieutenant," the Agent replies, "Your men are already dead." 

Back inside, the head officer pulls out a set of handcuffs. This is easy, what was the problem with one petite girl? But then-- 

With inhuman speed, the girl punches the cop open-handed, a burst of energy burning into his chest. He drops with a cry of pain, and the other police stare in shock. Then they come back to their senses and charge towards her. 

She is amazingly fast, disabling the other three cops as well within seconds. Using their own weapons against them and a strange set of energy blasts from her fingers, the four cops are on the floor in moments. Looking around at her work, she picks up the cell phone and dials. "Xelloss, the line was traced, I don't know how." 

"I know, they cut the hard line. You have no time, you're gonna have to get to another exit," replies a cool voice through the phone. 

"Are there any agents," she asks, watching the door. 

"Yes." 

"God-dammit," she curses quietly. 

"You have to focus, Seraya. There's a phone at Wells and Lake. You can make it." Ser nods, even if he can't see it. 

"Alright." 

"Go." She is out the door immediately. 

Agent Valgarv heads for the alley as Agent Filia leads another group of cops into the hotel. They won't let her get away this time. 

Seraya dashes down the hall, knowing she doesn't have a lot of time. She is considering the best path of escape when the Agent appears. Bullets follow soon after and she dives out a broken window onto a fire escape. 

Outside, she glances down. There's Agent Valgarv, staring up at her. Up's the only available direction. 

Racing across the roof, Seraya's chased by the female Dragon and several police officers. When she makes it to the edge, she jumps to the next roof, movements graceful and smooth. The Agent matches the liquid motion, unlike the wild leaps of the cops she's leading. 

Nearing the edge again, the next building is easily forty feet away but Ser and the Dragon continue racing towards it. The police stop, expecting to see something messy. However, Ser jumps and glides through the air, ground beneath flowing under her. She lands, somersaults and starts running hard again. Agent Filia matches the move while the cops stare slack-jawed in disbelief. 

"That's impossible!" 

Now time is running out, the Dragon is catching up on her. Across the street, an even longer jump is a lit window glowing amongst the dark bricks of the building. Seraya pushes herself to run faster, aiming for the point of light. 

Hurtling over the edge of the rooftop, she dives towards the window. The square of light grows as she flies over the street, holding her arms over her head until-- She crashes through the window, shards of glass following her as she rolls down a flight of stairs then stops against the wall at the bottom, coming up with two guns pointed at the busted window. 

Seraya's breathing hard and shivering a little, visibly shaken. "Get up, Seraya. Just get up.. get up!" She pushes to her feet and runs, a little slower, towards the stairs. 

On the roof still, the Dragon Agent touches her earpiece. 

The street below is empty as Ser looks at a phone booth on the street corner, absently scratching at a trail of blood down her left temple. Suddenly, the wheels of a dump truck squeal loudly as it U-turns and heads towards the booth. Seraya dashes out of her hiding spot and races the truck. The phone begins to ring. 

Lights from the truck make the booth glow as it nears, Ser pushing herself despite cuts and bruises she's received. She jumps into the booth and answers the phone, looking up. The dump truck fills her vision. 

And demolishes the booth, crushing it under it's massive weight. There's an icy moment of silence before the truck backs up and comes to a stop in the middle of the street, then Agent Valgarv steps down from the vehicle. He inspects the damage, eyes cold behind his sunglasses. There is no body. She escaped. 

The Agent's jaw sets in frustration as Agents Filia and Milgasia step up behind him. "She got out." 

"Does it matter? The informant is real," remarked the female Dragon. 

"Yes, we have the name of their next target," adds the tallest Agent. 

"The name is Lina." 

"We'll need a search running," says Agent Valgarv. 

"It's already begun," answers Agent Filia. 


	3. Following the White Rabbit

**The Slayers Matrix   
-Hawk Shadowharper **

Part 2: Following the White Rabbit 

Take your typical studio apartment, and add about three rooms' worth of computer equipment. Cables wind all over the room, disappearing and reappearing around desks and shelves. Equipment split apart is spread across any available flat surface, looking more like a junkyard than a living space. 

A technician's nightmare, a hacker's dream. And in the middle of it all, Teresa Anderson sleeps in front of her computer. Fiery red hair falls down the back of her t-shirt, bangs framing her closed eyes. On the screen, various newspapers and files scroll by, including a few mentions of Xelloss. 

The files stop, screen turning black. On it appears 'Wake up, Lina...' Teresa's crimson eyes flutter open and she slowly looks up at the computer screen. 

"What the hell," she whispers to herself. 

'The Matrix has you.' 

"What?" 

'Follow the white rabbit.' 

"Follow the white rabbit?" 

'Knock knock, Lina.' Teresa looks at the door, startled as someone knocks on it. 

"Who is it?" She glances back at the screen, that's now blank. 

"Zan," a voice outside the door replies. Teresa sighs quietly and stands, going over to the door and opening it a little. Outside Zangulus stands, surrounded by a few very Goth friends. 

"You're two hours late," Teresa points out. 

"I know, it's her fault," Zan replies, nodding to the green-haired girl beside him. The redhead sighs, shaking her head slightly. 

"Got the money?" Zan smirks, holding up a large bundle of bills. 

"Two grand." He hands the money to her. 

"Hold on." Teresa closes the door again and goes back into her apartment, heading for a bookshelf. She pulls down a certain book and opens it, revealing a hidden compartment. Then she puts the money inside and pulls out a disk. Closing the book and putting it back, she walks back to the door and hands the disk to Zangulus. 

"Hallelujah, you're my savior, my own personal Jesus Christ!" Teresa rolls her eyes slightly. 

"You get caught using that..." 

"Yeah, I know, this never happened. You don't exist," Zangulus finished, slipping the disk into one of his pockets. 

"Right." Zan watches her a moment. 

"Something wrong? Cause you look a little whiter than usual." Teresa glances back at the computer. 

"My... computer, it..." She looks back, red eyes glittering. "You ever have that feeling, where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?" Zan closes his eyes a moment, apparently savoring a memory. 

"Mmm, all the time. It's called mescaline, it's the only way to fly." He opens his eyes again, looking back at Teresa. "Hey, it just sounds to me like you might need to unplug, you know, get some R and R?" He looks to the green-haired woman still beside him. "What do you think, Martina? Should we take her with us?" Martina smiles secretly, looking the red-haired girl up and down a moment. 

"Definitely." 

"I can't, I have, uh, work tomorrow," Teresa stammers a moment, wondering how this subject came up. 

"C'mon, it'll be fun. Promise," Martina winks and, turning slightly to curl her arms around Zan's neck, reveals a tattoo of a white rabbit on her shoulder. Teresa stares at the small tattoo a moment. 

"Yeah... sure, I'll go." 

--- 

It is dark, hot and loud. A nightclub, filled with people dressed in black and generally grinding to the music. Waru Bad Blood, to be precise. 

Teresa stands against a wall, alone and sipping a bottle of beer. She feels completely out of place and considers leaving with a form breaks off of the large blob of dancers. The form becomes visible, a long blond-haired girl who seems to be staring directly at Teresa. The slim girl is wearing a flattering black dress that helps to accent her body's small curves. "Hello, Lina." Teresa blinks, surprised. 

"How do you know that name?" Blue eyes seem to glow softly as the other girl smiles slightly. 

"I know a lot about you," she answers, moving closer to Teresa. 

"Who are you?" 

"My name is Seraya." Dawning reaches the taller girl. 

"Seraya? ... THE Seraya? That cracked the Sailoon d-base?" Ser smiles to her, glad that she's recognized now. 

"That was a long time ago." 

"Damn," Teresa half-whispers quietly. 

"What?" Not quietly enough. 

"Uh, err... never mind, it's not important." Ser walks closer so they can talk under the loud music. 

"Tell me," the blond girl whispers in Teresa's ear. 

"I just hoped, uhm... you were a guy." 

"Most girls do." Teresa blinks, a little embarrassed. It's one thing to have a little fantasy but to tell it to the object of said fantasy? 

"That was you on my computer. How did you do it?" 

"Right now, all I can tell you is that you're in danger. I brought you here to warn you." Teresa blinks again. 

"Warn me?" 

"They're watching you, Lina." 

"Who is," Teresa demands quietly. 

"Please, just listen." Ser presses gently against the taller girl, lips nearly touching her ear. She continues in a hushed voice, "I know why you're here, Lina. I know what you've been doing. I know why you hardly sleep. Why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit at your computer. You're looking for him. I know because I was once looking for the same thing. And when he found me, he told me I wasn't really looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question that drives us. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did." Steadily through the speech, Teresa listens more intently, concentrating look on her face. 

"...What is the Matrix?" Ser smiles lightly, standing straight and moving back a little. 

"The answer is out there, Lina. It's looking for you, and it will find you... if you want it to." Her shining blue eyes locked onto Teresa's, then she stepped back, melting back into the mass of dancing bodies. The redhead watches her go, thinking about what she's said. 

The music continues to be loud, pounding on her senses with it's addictive beat. It is quite a party, after all. 

--- 

And an alarm clock's loud buzzing drags Teresa from sleep. She groggily looks at the display, which reads 9:18. Suddenly she's fully awake. "Oh shit!" 

--- 

Downtown, Teresa stands nervously before her boss's desk. She stares out at the window at two washers, squeegeeing loudly. The ultimate boss man, Mr. Grausherra sits at his desk, constantly typing at his computer and lecturing without looking at Teresa. "You have a problem with authority, Ms. Anderson. You believe that you are special, that somehow the rules don't apply to you." 

He glances up with icy blue eyes at Teresa, who looks back just in time. "Obviously, you are mistaken." He goes back to typing and lecturing. "This company is one of the top software companies in the world, because every single employee understands that they are part of a whole. Thus, if an employee has a problem, the company has a problem." 

Mr. Grausherra looks back again. "The time has come to make a choice, Ms. Anderson. Either you choose to be at your desk, on time. Or you choose to find yourself another job. Do I make myself clear?" Teresa swallows and nods. 

"Yes, Mr. Grausherra, perfectly clear." 

--- 

She slumps in her chair, familiar setting of the cubicle around her again. One of her fellow employees stands and leans over the wall. "So, what did he say?" Teresa shook her head. 

"If I was late again, I'm going to be fired." He smirks. 

"Well, it was nice knowing you." Red eyes glared up at him as he sits down again. 

"Teresa Anderson?" She blinks and turns in her chair, looking at the FedEx guy standing outside the cubicle door with a package. 

"Yeah, that's me." He hands her the package then nods. 

"Have a nice day," and leaves. Teresa stares at the package a moment then opens it; inside is a cell phone. As soon as she pulls it out, it rings. A bit unnerved, she answers. 

"Hello?" 

"Hello, Lina. Do you know who this is," a smooth voice asks through the phone. Teresa's eyes widen and she turns back to her desk, leaning on it. 

"Xelloss...?" 

"Yes." Her stomach tightens, listening closely. "I've been looking for you, Lina. I don't know if you're ready to see what I want to show, but unfortunately, you and I have run out of time. They're coming for you Lina, and I don't know what they're going to do." 

"Who's coming for me?" 

"Stand up and see for yourself." 

"What, right now?" 

"Yes, now." She starts to stand. "Do it slowly. The elevator." She peeks over the top of her cubicle and looks. Near the elevator are Agents Filia and Milgasia, leading a group of police officers. The employee they're speaking to points towards her cubicle. 

"Oh, shit," she says into the phone, ducking. 

"Yes." 

"What the hell do they want with me," she asks forcefully. 

"I don't know, but if you don't want to find out, I suggest you get out of there." The phone is so clear, it seems Xel is right there beside her. 

"How?!" 

"I can guide you, but you must do exactly as I say." The agents are moving quickly towards the cubicle. Time is running out. "The cubicle across from you is empty." 

"But what if--" 

"Go! Now!" Teresa lunges across the hall, diving into the other cubicle just as the agents reach her row. She curls up in a dark corner, holding the phone closely. "Stay here a moment." 

The Agents look into the empty cubicle, and then send a cop to search the bathroom. It was very close. "A little longer," Xel's voice whispers into Teresa's ear. Agent Filia talks with the employee next to Teresa's cubicle. "When I tell you, go to the end of the row to the office at the end of the hall. Stay as low as you can." She bites her lip slightly and nods, nervous. "Go, now." 

She ducks low and runs to the office, praying that she'll avoid being seen. When she reaches the office, she closes the door and holds the phone to her ear again. "Good, now, outside, there's a scaffold." 

"How do you know all this?!" 

"We don't have time, Lina." Xel's voice has a slight hint of iciness. "To your left, there's a window. Go to it and open it." Teresa does so, looking outside. The wind howls and the traffic far below isn't as loud as it should be. "Use the scaffold to get to the roof." 

"No way, no way! This is crazy," she says as she backs away from the open window, shaking her head. 

"There are two ways out of this building," the voice in the phone replies, calculatingly neutral again. "One is that scaffold, the other is in their custody. You take a chance either way. I leave it to you," and the phone hangs up. Teresa mutters to herself. 

"This is insane! Why is this happening to me, what did I do? I'm nobody." Deciding to at least try, though, she goes back to the window, steps up onto the ledge and starts creeping towards the scaffold. The wind blows, threatening to throw her from the building. She makes it around the corner of the building, just a few feet from her goal. Clutching to the frame of the window and the last obstacle, the wind kicks up and knocks the phone from her hand. Teresa watches as it plummets to the ground. 

"This is insane, I can't do this! Forget it!" She climbs back into the office, taking a couple deep breaths. 

Just as a cop opens the door. "I didn't do anything," Teresa says loudly. 

--- 

The Dragon Agents lead a handcuffed Teresa out of the revolving doors of the building and force her into their dark sedan. A few spaces down the street, Seraya watches in the side view mirror of her motorcycle. After pushing Teresa in and the other two Dragons get in, Valgarv pauses and looks in Seraya's direction. "Shit." She then takes off with a roar of the engine, long hair flying behind her. 


	4. From Bugs to Rabbits

**The Slayers Matrix   
-Hawk Shadowharper **

Part 3: From Bugs to Rabbits 

It's a small room, the interrogation room. Teresa sits at a table, waiting. Tick tock, tick tock. Then the door opens and Agent Valgarv enters the little room. The other two Dragons flank their captive, standing in the corners of the small room behind her. The green-haired Agent sits down across from Teresa, a thick manila envelope slapping down on the table. She glances at the name of the file, 'Anderson, Teresa F.' 

"As you can see, we've had our eye on you for some time now, Ms. Anderson." He opens the file and begins flipping through pages. Behind those glasses, Teresa can't tell if the Agent's looking at the file or at her. "It seems that you've been living two lives. In one life, you're Teresa F. Anderson, program writer for a respectable software company. You have a social security number, you pay your taxes, and you... help your landlady carry out her garbage." The look of disgust on his face only made Teresa roll her eyes. 

"The other life is lived in computers, where you go by the hacker alias Lina, and are guilty of virtually every computer crime we have a law for. One of these lives has a future, the other does not." The Agent closes the file. "I'm going to be as forthcoming as I can be, Ms. Anderson. You're here because we need your help." Agent Valgarv removes his sunglasses revealing a pair of yellow eyes. 

"We know that you've been contacted by a certain individual, who calls himself Xelloss. Whatever you think you know about this man is irrelevant. He is considered by the authorities to be the most dangerous man alive." The Agent leans closer, making sure Teresa's listening. 

"My colleagues believe that I am wasting my time with you, but I believe you wish to do the right thing. We're willing to wipe the slate clean, give you a fresh start. All that we're asking in return is your cooperation in bringing a known terrorist to justice." Teresa nods to herself. 

"Yeah, well, that sounds like a pretty good deal. But I think I may have a better one. How about, I give you the finger..." She does. "And you give me my phone call." The Agent glares at the fiery young woman before putting his glasses back on and sitting up. 

"You disappoint me, Ms. Anderson." 

"You can't scare me with this Gestapo crap. I know my rights, I want my phone call." A shadow of a smirk appears on the Agent's face. 

"And tell me, Ms. Anderson, what good is a phone call... if you're unable to speak?" Teresa blinks, a bit unnerved by the question. Then she feels the muscles in her jaw tighten. 

From confusion to panic, her eyes grow wide as her lips slowly seal shut, melding into each other until her mouth is completely gone. Wild with fear, she jumps back from the chair, thudding against the far wall. The other Agents restrain her and throw her onto the table on her back. Agent Valgarv pulls up her shirt. "You're going to help us, Ms. Anderson, whether you want to or not." 

He pulls a small probe out of his pocket and holds it over Teresa's exposed abdomen. The redhead watches, horrified as the probe animates, becoming a scorpion-like machine. She struggles more as the Agent drops the thing onto her, and it starts burrowing into her bellybutton. 

--- 

Teresa screams and sits up. In bed. At home. Slowly she realizes it must've been a dream. Her mouth is normal; her stomach looks fine. She starts to take a deep, "everything is okay" breath when the phone rings. 

It continues ringing as she stares at it until finally she stands and walks over, answering it silently. "This line is tapped, so I must be brief." Xelloss. "They got to you first, but they underestimated how important you are. If they knew what I knew, you'd probably be dead." 

"...What are you talking about, what is happening to me," she asks quietly. 

"You are the One, Lina. You see, you may have spent the last few years looking for me, but I've spent my entire life looking for you. Now, do you still want to meet?" Teresa swallows, trying to help the dryness in her throat. 

"Yes." 

"Then go to the Adams Street bridge," and he hung up. She closes her eyes, unsure of what she's done. 

--- 

Teresa stands under the bridge, looking around nervously. It's raining, adding to the mood. An old car pulls up and the back door opens. Inside is Seraya. "Get in." Teresa glances around then slides into the back beside the blond girl. Driving is a man with long red hair and in the passenger seat is a woman with short black hair. She aims a gun at Teresa. 

"What the hell is this?" 

"It's necessary, Lina, for our protection." Teresa frowns, never taking her eyes off the weapon aimed at her. 

"From what?" 

"From you." Eris eyes the redhead. 

"Take off your shirt." Teresa blinks, a bit surprised at the request. 

"What..?" Eris sighs.

"Stop the car," she says to Garv and the vehicle comes to a halt. "Listen to me, coppertop, we don't have time for 20 Questions. Right now, there's only one rule: our way, or the highway." Teresa looks between the three others. 

"Fine," and opens the door, stepping out into the rain. Seraya slides over. 

"Please, Lina, you have to trust me." The redhead pauses and looks over her shoulder. 

"Why?" 

"Because you have been down there, Lina. You know that road. You know exactly where it ends, and I know that's not where you want to be." Teresa turns, looking at Seraya. "Please," she whispers. 

A moment passes between them; red eyes on blue, then Teresa nods and gets back into car. It starts off again as if nothing happened. 

"Garv, lights." The lights in the car dim as Seraya looks back at Teresa. "Lie back, lift up your shirt." She pulls out a strange device as the taller girl does as she's told. It looks like a strange combination of things, a round metal ring at the bottom, a glass tube at the top and a small computer monitor as a viewing screen. The controls include a few buttons and seem to be a handle along with two rings for a pair of fingers. 

"What is that thing?" 

"I think you're bugged," Ser answers vaguely as she places the ring of the strange tool against Teresa's stomach. "Try to relax." Easy for her to say as she peers through the view port, adjusting the device. 

"Come on... come on..." 

"It's on the move," Eris points out. 

"Oh shit," the blond whispers as Teresa convulses in pain. 

"You're gonna lose it!" 

"No I'm not," she answers coolly, activating the thing. "Clear!" Teresa cries out weakly as the device shocks her with electricity, then the bug is sucked out of her bellybutton and into the container of the device with a wet sucking sound. 

"Jesus Christ, that thing's real?!" Seraya opens the window and tosses the small glass jar out onto the pavement. The scorpion bug then reverts to its original probe form, powerless. 

"It's all right, Lina, it's over now," Seraya whispers, holding Teresa's trembling shoulders. "It's alright now..." 

--- 

Seraya leads the redhead up a stairwell down a hall. They stop outside a double-doored room. "This is it." Teresa swallows, hearing her own heart pounding. Ser looks up at her, blue eyes shining. "Let me give you one piece of advice... be honest. He knows more than you can possibly imagine." 

Inside, Teresa looks around a moment then stops. In the middle are two large burgundy-leather chairs facing each other with a table between them, a full glass of water sitting on it. Across the room, a dark figure stares out the window. She sees he has shoulder-length purple hair as he turns, a slight smile appearing on his face. "At last." He wears a long black coat and a pair of circular mirrored glasses. "Welcome Lina. As you no doubt have guessed, I am Xelloss." 

Red eyes widen. "It-It's an honor to meet you." The small smile widens a little. 

"No... The honor is mine. Please, sit," he indicates a chair and Teresa sits, Seraya disappearing into an adjacent room. "I imagine that right now you're feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole?" 

"You could say that," she replies, nodding weakly. 

"I can see it in your eyes. You have the look of a woman who accepts what she sees, because she is expecting to wake up." That small smile remains on his face as he walks around behind the second chair. "Ironically, this is not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Lina?" 

"No." 

"Why not?" 

"Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life." Xel's sunglasses reflect Teresa's image back at her as he continues to smile secretly. He nods, seemingly agreeing with the woman as he sits in the chair across from her. Xelloss conjures a small container and turns it in his hands as he replies to Teresa. 

"I know exactly how you feel. Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it you're entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that brought you here. Do you know what I'm talking about?" Teresa stares at the purple-haired legend. 

"The Matrix?" Xel leans forward. 

"Do you want to know what it is? The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes, to blind you to the truth." Teresa blinks. 

"What truth?" 

"That you are a slave, Lina. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind. Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is." He sits back again. "You have to see it for yourself." 

Xel opens the small case, pulling out two pills. One is red, the other blue. He holds them out in front of Teresa, one in each hand. "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back." He opens his left hand, revealing one pill. "You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to." Then he opens his right hand, revealing the second pill. "You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." 

Teresa looks at the reflection of the two pills in those mirror glasses, and then she starts to reach for one. "Remember, all I'm offering is the truth, nothing more." Teresa watches Xel a moment, then takes the red pill and places it in her mouth, drinking water from the glass that was almost forgotten between herself and Xelloss. His smile seems to grow a little. "Follow me." 


	5. Welcome to the Real World

**The Slayers Matrix   
-Hawk Shadowharper **

Part 4: Welcome to the Real World 

Xelloss leads Teresa into the next room where Seraya disappeared. Inside is a makeshift command center. At a bank of monitors with several keyboards and joystick is Garv, the image of a map being scanned visible on the main screen. Next to him is a young man with strange lavender hair that reaches out to points from his head. Eris takes Teresa's coat and takes it away, Seraya appearing and leading the redhead to a chair. 

"Garv, are we online," Xelloss asks as he moves to the phone, placing it on a strange cradle before pressing a button and it starts to dial. 

"Almost," the rather scruffy-looking man mumbles. 

"Time is always against us," Xel says with a sigh, the lighter-haired young man moving beside him and talking to him in a hushed tone away from Teresa. 

"Xelloss, I know what you believe but I think this is mistake. We're rushing her, she's old. She might pop." 

"Haven't I always told you, Zelgadis, not to let fear control your life." 

On the other side of the room, Seraya attaches small EKG sensors to the inside of Teresa's left elbow and the side of her neck. Glancing around again at all the equipment, she asks the smaller girl, "You did all this?" The only reply is a quiet 'mmhmm'. 

"The pill you took is part of a trace program. It's designed to disrupt your input/output carrier signal so we can pinpoint your position," Xelloss explains to Teresa once Seraya finishes with the sensors and moves to a second bank of monitors where Eris and Zel wait. 

If she didn't know better, Teresa would think she was being talked about like a piece of equipment. "What does that mean?" 

"It means," Zel answered with a dry tone, "buckle your seatbelt, Dorothy, because Kansas is going bye-bye." Unsure how to take the situation, Teresa takes a few deep breaths. Whatever that pill was, it was causing strange sensations inside, almost as if she were disconnecting from her own body. 

Off to her right, something catches her eye. The red irises look up and over at a shattered mirror and her own reflection from several different angles look back at her. As she watches, however, the cracks start to melt away, almost as if the mirror were turning liquid. "Did you...?" she started to ask, glancing at the others before looking back at the mirror. 

Curious, she reaches forward and pokes two fingers at the mirror. Surprisingly, it acts very much like liquid and ripples around them. When Teresa pulls her fingers back, the reflective material sticks to her. "Have you ever had a dream, Lina, that you were so sure was real." 

The strands of liquid mirror break but what's left remain on Teresa's fingers, slowly melting further down them. "What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world, and the real world?" 

As she watches, the liquid starts to spread, engulfing Teresa's hand. "This can't be," she whispers as she looks at her own reflection in her palm. 

"Be what? Be real?" The silvery stuff starts creeping up Teresa's arm, causing her to shiver. 

"It's going into replication," Seraya noted as she watched her monitor. 

"Garv?" 

"Still nothing." On the screen, a wire frame tunnel passes by. 

"It's cold, it's cold!" Teresa starts to panic, the liquid surrounding her torso and creeping up her neck. Behind her, Xelloss opens his cell phone and hits a speed dial, talking into it. 

"Hawk, we're going to need a signal soon." In front of Seraya, the medical readouts go crazy. 

"I've got a fibrillation," she calls. The situation is getting tense; they have to hurry. 

"Garv, location?" 

"Targeting, almost there," he answers Xel's question. The wire frame tunnel goes by faster, working through a maze. 

"She's going into arrest," Ser cries over alarms going off. The mirror substance has nearly enveloped Teresa, only her mouth and eyes uncovered from the silvery metal. 

"Lock, I got her!" 

"Now Hawk, now!" The liquid metal emits an electronic screeching as it flows down into Teresa's throat, the redhead screaming as her vision breaks apart into darkness. 

--- 

The pod is filled with a pink gooey liquid. Lina looks down at herself, naked body plugged with hoses of some sort all over. She pushes upward at the top of the pod, thin membrane stretching before her hand breaks free. Sitting up, the hairless girl coughs weakly as she pulls a strange hose out of her throat and mouth, the black tube sinking back into the warm goo. 

Looking down at herself, Lina sees her skin is pale white and her body almost like a skeleton. Then a strange sensation comes over her and she slowly reaches up behind her head, finding a large attachment that sticks out a foot from the base of her skull. She tries to pull it out but the thing is stuck, it would be easier to pull off a finger. 

Then she notices her surroundings. Off to the side, she sees a row of pods similar to the one she's sitting in. Inside each one is another human being with similar hoses and attachments. Looking around more, she's awed by huge towers each covered by rows upon rows of similar pods. Leaning over the edge of her pod, there are even more on the tower she's connected to and she can't see the ground, dark clouds blocking any light that might come from the sky. 

From above a machine drops into Lina's view. It looks like a robotic dragon, metal body reflecting the human's face. Metal wings flap loudly from its back, allowing it to hover with the assistance of anti-gravity boosters on its clawed feet. Two dark red crystals stare at her from above, contemplating her. 

One of the beast's powerful forearms grip Lina around her thin waist, nearly pulling her out of the pod. She can only struggle helplessly as she looks at herself in those hellish eyes. The lock on the brainstem cable starts to turn quickly, causing the bald girl to wince in agony while the sensation of grinding and pulling directly from her brain is excruciating. The lock finishes and the device is extracted; the dragon machine drops Lina back into the pod and flies off. 

Leaning against the edges of the pod and panting for breath, the shivering girl doesn't get much of a break before the black tubes attached to her body started exploding off in rapid succession, snapping away and falling back down into the goo. When they finish, a large hatch at the back opens wide and started to suck the contents of the pod down into a tunnel, pulling Lina with it. 

She slides along a dark tunnel along with the pink liquid from her pod before reaching the end, crying out in surprise at the long drop into a pool of ugly green-gray water. Lina struggles to swim, not able to keep her head above water with her weak body and sinks. 

Overhead, a vessel's doors open, light pouring out. A large 6-fingered claw drops down, splashing into the water over where Lina disappeared. It quickly starts retracting, pulling up the pale girl into the hovercraft. 

Inside, through bleary eyes she is met with two recognizable figures. Xelloss and Seraya watch as the exhausted girl is wrapped in a towel. Xel has no sunglasses and his purple eyes meet Lina's. "Welcome... to the real world." Unable to take anymore, Lina passes into unconsciousness. 

--- 

"We've done it, Seraya. We've found her." Voices. Overhead. Lina opens her eyes a little, finding herself looking up at the blond girl as she answers. 

"I hope you're right." 

"You don't have to hope. I know it." They both look down when Lina whispers. 

"Am I dead...?" Xelloss shakes his head slightly. 

"Far from it." 

--- 

When Lina regains consciousness again, she feels a strange tingling. Forcing her eyes open again, she sees there are dozens of long needles stuck in her body, a wire attached to each one. 

"She still needs a lot of work," a long blond-haired man comments to Xelloss. 

"What are you doing," Lina asks quietly. 

"Your muscles have atrophied, we're rebuilding them," Xel replies as he checks the readouts from the long probes. Lina squints, the light seeming to be too bright to her and causing pain. 

"Why do my eyes hurt?" Xelloss watches the results a moment before looking back to Lina. 

"Because... you've never used them before." He smiles sadly, resting a hand on her forehead. "Rest, Lina. The answers are coming." 

The rebuilding of the girl's body continues, the probes doing their work along with most of the metal plugs being removed surgically. It's a long and painful process overseen by the purple-eyed leader. 

--- 

Lina blinks her eyes open and sits up on the bed, glancing around. She's in a tiny room, apparently her own. Examining herself, she's dressed now in a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants and boots, all probably having seen better days. She can feel the start of hair growth, very short red hair starting to return on top of her head. 

In her left arm, one of the remaining plugs has an IV hooked up to it. Frowning to herself, she grips the tube and starts to pull it out. She clenches her fist when she discovers how long the needle is and grits her teeth, finally pulling the whole thing out with a sigh of relief. 

Dropping the IV, Lina rubs her arm, examining the plug still there. Then, she lifts her head with a thought comes to her. Hesitantly reaching up, she brushes her fingers along the back of her neck and upward towards the round metal outlet still there. It's just too much and she starts to breathe faster just as her fingertips touch the outer ring when the door opens suddenly. 

In walks Xelloss. "Xelloss, what's happening to me? What is this place?" 

Xel quickly answers, "More important than what, is when." 

"'When'?" 

"You believe it's the year 1999, when, in fact, it's closer to 2199. I can't tell you exactly what year it is, because we honestly don't know." Lina shakes her head a bit in disbelief. "There's nothing I can say that will explain it for you. Come with me. See for yourself." 

Xelloss leads Lina out of the living area and up to the floor above. "This is my ship, the Dragon Slayer. It's a hovercraft." After climbing the ladder, Lina looks around curiously. "This is the main deck." As she walks past, a teenaged boy with shoulder-length dark blue hair follows Lina. 

"This is the core, where we broadcast our pirate signal and hack into the Matrix. Most of my crew, you already know," Xel continues as he walks along the deck, Lina following. Seraya brushes a few locks of blond hair out of her face as she pushes to her feet, joining the teen in following Lina and Xelloss. 

"This is Garv," Xel notes as he introduces the red-haired, scowling man, "Eris," a young woman with black hair, "and Zelgadis." Lina blinks a bit in surprise at the third. She remembered seeing him before but he was nothing like he looks now. The lavender hair looks like metal and his skin is blue with dark stones in some places. He does not look cheerful. 

"The ones you don't know, Hawk," a short black-haired young man with emerald eyes nods when he meets Lina's eye, "and his big brother, Gourry," the blond-haired man from before gives a wave in greeting. "The little one behind you is Phibrizio," Xel finished the introductions as Lina glances over her shoulder at the youth who gives an innocent-looking grin. The whole gang is dressed similar to Lina, colorless clothing that look more like thrift store rejects than a ship's crew's uniforms. 

"You wanted to know what the Matrix is, Lina?" Xel glances over Lina's shoulder. "Seraya." The slim blond girl leads Lina to one of a ring of seven chairs, all worn and well used in appearance. Behind each are computer screens and control panels. Lina's helped up into one of the chairs, Xelloss moving to the other side. "Try to relax," he adds before lightly pushing Lina's head back against the headrest. "This will feel a little weird." 

Behind Lina, a long probe is inserted into the plug at the base of her skull. She arches as she screams silently and Xelloss nods to Hawk at the control station. As soon as he presses a button, it all ends. Lina is surrounded by white, and nothing else. 


End file.
